Will God forgive you if you use His name as a swear word?

Sincerely,
Watching My Tongue

Dear Watching My Tongue,

God is ready and willing to forgive us (Ps 86:5) of all sin, including foul language, if we are truly sorrowful, repentant (2 Cor 7:10), and committed to change (Matt 3:8).  Having said that, let’s talk a little bit about why using God’s name as a curse word is such a horrible thing.

All cursing is corrupt speech, but using the Lord’s name in vain is corrupt speech and blasphemy.  Eph 4:29 tells us to avoid all corrupt speech.  We need to avoid any and all language that sounds filthy or derogatory – this would include all swear words.  However, using the Lord’s name in vain is corrupt and irreverent.  God tells us to revere Him (Heb 12:28).  All sin will equally send you to hell (Rom 6:23), but there is an attitude of disrespect behind using the Lord’s name in vain that is especially troublesome.  The word ‘blasphemy’ means ‘to speak evil of’.  When we use God’s name as a cuss word or exclamatory term, we demote Him in our minds from the lofty position He deserves.  All our speech needs to be both clean and reverent, so that God’s name is spoken well of amongst His people (1 Tim 6:1).

When God cast Satan out of heaven and gave him the earth to rule over, why then would God make the choice to create man on Earth?  The more I read the Bible, my feelings towards being a christian began to change.  God creates man on earth, knowing Satan is there.  God destroys the earth with the Great Flood because He saw that the earth was wicked.  God binds Satan for a thousand years and then turns him loose again to rule once more before he is cast into the lake of fire for all eternity.  This life God gave us seems to me to be a stage for His amusement.  I love my children and would never set up such drama in order for them to prove to me they love me... why has GOD??

Sincerely,
Toyed With

Dear Toyed With,

If God had set the earth up as a stage for His amusement, then He never would have come and died on a cross for us (Jhn 3:16).  God specifically restricts Satan’s ability to tempt us (1 Cor 10:13), and God makes it clear that He never asks us to endure any trial that He isn’t also willing to endure (Heb 2:18).

This life is all about letting people have the freedom to choose their own destiny (Deu 30:19).  Even the flood that Noah’s family endured was for their benefit – it saved the only faithful people on the planet from the corruptive influence of sin (1 Pet 3:20).  God doesn’t desire any of the wicked to perish (Ezek 18:23).  His desire is for all mankind to choose Him.  God honors our freewill by giving each of us an entire lifetime to choose for ourselves whether we want to spend eternity with Him or away from Him.  It isn’t about us proving our love… it is about God respecting the freedom He gave us.

I was told that the Holy Spirit is not here to make us feel good.  In my limited knowledge, I believe that the Holy Spirit can make us feel good.

Sincerely,
Peppy

Dear Peppy,

The Holy Spirit came to bring us the Bible (Eph 6:17), comfort through that Word (Jhn 14:26), and salvation (Tit 3:5).  When we obey the teachings of the Bible, we enjoy the blessings of the Holy Spirit, blessings which will bring us joy and long-term happiness.  The Holy Spirit didn’t specifically come to make you feel good, but joy is a symptom of a life well-lived in the Holy Spirit’s teachings (Rom 14:17).

If you are not doing what God has instructed, is Satan your father?

Sincerely,
Who’s Your Daddy?

Dear Who’s Your Daddy,

In Jhn 8:44, Jesus says that those who follow the lusts of the devil have become his children.  Children emulate their parents.  When we are children of God, we show respect for our heavenly Father (Heb 12:9); when we follow sinful ways, we are showing respect for the devil.  In short, we act like the family we choose to love.

On July 5th, the only animal that ever loved me (and I her) died next to me in my bed.  She was sick for a while, and I had prayed for her healing.  However, your god took her from me peacefully.  I am so angry at your god that I am cursing him with as much anger as I can stand.  He has really hardened my heart against him.  If there is a god, why doesn’t he hear me, and why didn’t he heal my baby?  I may never believe in him again, and this was all his fault.  If he cares so much for us, then why did this happen?  I just can’t pray on his deaf ears anymore.  I can’t explain the anger that I have against him… if there is a him up there.  I have been a believer all of my life, and this is changing my mind to go over to the other side and start over again.  Maybe the worship of a cow or a monkey isn’t such a bad idea.   All of those people can’t be wrong, could they?

Sincerely,
Grieving

Dear Grieving,

We are so sorry for your loss.  Losing a beloved animal is a very difficult loss.  We often have people write into the site after a great trial in their life and ask us, “Why?”.  We wish we could give you a specific answer, but we can’t.  We can tell you that God didn’t bring death into our world – sin did.  In the Garden of Eden, all life was blessed, and everything was perfect (Gen 1:31).  It is only after mankind sinned that death and suffering were introduced (Gen 2:17).  All of creation was affected by sin (Gen 3:17-18).  The devil would have us blame God for our suffering, but he is the one that created all the chaos and hurt (Gen 3:13).

Our hearts go out to you in your time of suffering.  We cannot imagine how you must be feeling (Pr 14:10), but we hope your hurt eventually draws your heart nearer to the Lord for comfort (2 Cor 1:3).  If you are in need of a congregation in your area to edify and encourage you at this time, we would be happy to help you find one (our e-mail is askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org).